, 1887-02-19
STORY OF LINCOLN.
TOLD BY Ex-REPResENTATlvE BRAN
oEoEE, OF CONNECTICUT.

\ Gun Makers cinims-An Interview
WIN the Pr-sident-LincoIn's Personal
A~ppcarance-A Persuasive Executive
Observation-Disclosures DahIgren.
/ first saw Mr.. Lincoln in the summer of
1865. | had been elected In the spring OF that
year to the Thirty eighth congress, and visit
81 Washington some time in June to look NJ.
quarters for the coming December session.
The corridors of Willari's hotel were crowded
with officers on leave, office seekers, con-
tractors and jobbers-the swarm which al
ways gathers around the hive OF the treasury.
The most conspicuous figure, and one of the
most remarkable | ever saw, was Horntio
Ames, an iron founder OF Falls Village, Conn,
a brother OF Oakes Arnes, He claimed
to have invented a process OF forg-
ing wrought iron cannon OF heavy calibre,
by subJecting the molten metal to the
impact of two immense trip hammers, which
with characteristic grim humor he had named
respectively Thor" and "Odin." Ames
complained that though his guns had been
subjected to unfair tests by Dahlgrcn. who
was then chief OF the ordnance bureau. and
though it had withstood all attempts to burst
it--while the Dahlgren guns had burst like
sluss bottles-yet he could neither get IA re-
port in his favor nor an authentic record OF
WIS - lt iAA INV WI oAT1C tI tlhl
l was one Of the newly elected Connecticut
members, and insisted that in the absence OF
his own immediate representative IL was my
duty to present his appeal to President Lin
coin. ! did not banker after the job" to
use one of the expressive phrases OF Mr.. Lin
coin. But Ames WINS not the man to stand
upon etiquette and ! finally yielded to his
importantly, ON condition that an interview
shonld he ARRANGED with Mr.. Lincoln's mp
roval
Every one knows the general appearance OF
Mr.. Lincoln. That he was tall, swarthy.
awkward and unconventional in dress and
manner nre the broad outlines of any CON
ception OF him. But no one who has not
stood face to face with the man can ever
realize a lifelike idea OF the great original. As
he se-an seemed to keep on rising before
me, his hair was black, coarse and of un un-
kenpt appearance, his nose prominent, his
check bones high, his checks very hollow, his
complexion swarthy, his manner gracious
but subdued, while his eyes had an expression
that | find myself incapable OF describing, us
though they lay in ambush in their deep cav
eins, ready to spring forth or retreat further
within, Us occasion required. He was nwk-
ward, but 1t was the awkwardncss OF nature,
which is akin to grace. Tho expression of
his face was earnest, with "A shade of sadness,
and hs voice was soft and at times as tender
rs a woman's.
| had prepared what | thought n neat little
speech OF Introduction, but he at once put my
rhetoric and embarrassment to flight by
taking me by tho hand and saying, "Well,
what does little Connecticut wnntf'
Tho tone, tho familiar address, the friendly
manner, tho gracious smile at once put me at
my ease, and | stated my cnse as TO a friend,
aIil almost an equal Mr., Lincoln listened
xatft ...tIAtt afasn A-.. lI . IT.
n record existed OF the various charges, the
number of firings and the respective results
to each gun, and that it would vindicato all
lie claimed, but lac had been denied access to
it. Mr.. Lincoln closed the interview by re-
qussting me to procure II and bring II to him
~ . O'Clock that evening. And to my sug-
~ ooh That | wns unknown at tho department,
he took an executive envelope from IA bundle
which lay always on his table and wrote tho
following: Let Mr.. -. OF Connecticut,
have u copy Of such record Us he indicates.
\. Lincoln"
Armed with this concise hut persuasive
executive message, we visited the navy de-
partment, where We waited IN the anteroo:n
Tor moro than two hours for the arrival Of
Commodore Dahlgren. who was said to bc
tleent- Suspecting after n while that Dahl
rran's absence was rather conventional than
actual, We at last pushed by tho janitor into
the chiefs room, where We found him calmly
writing at his desk, where he had probably
been from the commencement. My request
Tor u copy OF the report was CURLY refused.
until | produced the envelope with the un-
mistakablc sign manual of the president, caus-
ing as much CONSERVATION us though one OF
Dalilgren's own Gins Ind burst in in his own
department ~ got what We wanted and
took it to t. .&tsident that evening accord
ing b appointment.
Mr.. Lincoln sat at an Office desk, under
.hich his long legs protruded to an extent
which made then conspicuous. At first he
lad on "a pair of carpet slippers, but as the
conversation progressed he unconsciously
withdrew his feet, disclosing what seemed to
lie a pair OF dark yarn stockings, through
which had worked hi, great toe, and this he
kept in almost perpetual motion. The record
verified the claim Of Mr.. Ames, and after
much DISCUSSION and searching questions Mr..
Lincoln .ook nm executive envelope and wrote
the following: IF Horntio Ames will make
ten wrought iron guns ar, 'ethod,
whicfgill snssxer satisfact2 o. Enia'.sss
4 shall order, | Will sec that he gets paid 81
rer pound for eacl gun. A.. Lincoln"
Thus ended my first interview. | never
saw Ames afterward, but WINS told by Onkes
Amos, his brother, that the guns were made,
answered all tests, aud that his brother re-
ceived siOO,OO0 OH the strength OF that cnvel-
ope.-Augustus B%randegec In New York
Tribune.